Power shovel dipper



Oct. 22, 1963 T. A. RATKOWSKI POWER SHOVEL DIPPER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 25, 1961 IN VENTOR. THOMAS A. RATKOWSKI Oct. 22, 1963 T. A. RATKOWSKI 3,107,445

POWER SHOVEL DIPPER Filed Sept. 25, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INV TOR. THOMAS A. RAT WSKI ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,197,445 PUWER SHGVEL DEEPER Thomas A. Ratkowski, Chicago Heights, TEL, assignor to American Brake Shoe Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Fiied Sept. 25, 1961, Ser. No. 140,579 1 Claim. (Cl. 37-118) This invention relates to the construction of a dipper for a power shovel and in particular to a manner of removably connecting a renewable lipto the bucket body.

It has heretofore been proposed to construct a dipper for a power shovel in such a manner that the dipper comprises essentially two main parts, namely, a back and a renewable lip removably secured to the back, the forwardmost edge of the lip being the part of the dipper on which the dipper teeth are secured. A dipper of this general construction is the subject matter of United States Patent No. 1,945,064, and according to that patent the lip is removably secured to the back by U-bolts that are disposed in a unique fashion internally of the assembly. This particular construction for the most part has proven to be eminently satisfactory in use, but in recent years of high-cost labor it has been found that objectionable down time is experienced when replacing a broken bolt. Thus, the construction of the aforesaid patent is such that when a bolt is broken it is necessary to remove the lip, and to do this it is necessary to remove the wedges that help secure the lip to the back. This requires a considerable amount of time representing lost production, and the primary object of the present invention is to relate a dipper back and replaceable lip in such a manner that the two are held together nuggedly and securely by U-bolts so located as to be capable of easy replacement in the event of breakage without the necessity of disassembly of the two main dipper parts.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claim and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, by Way of illustration, show a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the principle thereof and what is now considered to be the best mode contemplated for applying that principle. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claim.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an actual power shovel dipper constructed under and in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing details of the removable lip; and

FIGS. 3 and 4 are fragmentary sectional views taken substantially on the lines 3-3 and 4-4 of FIG. 1.

A power shovel dipper constructed under and in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in perspective in FIG. 1. Most of the associated parts are castings such that the dipper as a whole includes a main one piece casting 11 affording the back and .a subsidiary one piece casting 12 affording the dipper lip or front. As shown in FIG. 1, the forward edge of the dipper back and the rear edge of the dipper lip or front section are cast with complemental shapes that inter-fit along what can be called a parting line 15, FIG. 1, although it should be noted that the back and lip as shown in FIG. 1 are slightly separated for clarity. The back and lip are cast to include lugs, bosses and other functional parts that play important roles in the actual operation of the dipper, out these represent no part of the present invention and hence are not described herein. It may be pointed out, however, that the forwardmost edge 16, FIGS. 1 and 2 3,107,445 Patented Oct. 22, 1963 of the lip 12 has the usual row of dipper teeth DT secured thereto for the essential digging operation.

As an aspect to ruggedly relating and interfitting the back 11 and the lip .12 the side walls 20- and 21 of the lip are each cast to include parts or sections that interfit with complemental par-ts of the back. Thus, the outer face of each side of the lip is cast to include a shoulder 22, FIGS. 1 and 2, which is disposed in a plane that is generally normal to what can be viewed as the planar rear surface 24 of the lip which will abut a like planar surface at the front of the dipper back as will be apparent from FIG. 1.

Proceeding rearwardly from the inner corner of each shoulder 22 on the lip, each side wall of the :dipper lip on the outer face is inclined or sloped rearwardly along a wedgin-g surf-ace 25, and one end of each such surface is curved at 25A, FIG. 2, to merge into a second shoulder 27 at each side of the lip which is ina plane substantially parallel to that of the first shoulder. Each shoulder as 27 terminates in a curved surface 27A, FIG. 2, that blends into the related back or rear surface 24 of the lip on each side thereof.

It will be recognized from FIG. 1 that the surfaces 22, 25 and 27 are related substantially in a Z-configuration and serve as seats for the complemental surfaces 30', 31 and 32 of interfitting back parts located at each side of the dipper back. This, as noted, is the condition at each side of the dipper assembly. Thus, the dipper lip surfaces 22 and 25 in the outer face of each side wall of the dipper lip define a recess in which is adapted to seat a complementally shaped projection 35A and 35B at each side of the dipper back.

As best shown in FIG. 3, each side of the lip 12, at the end adjacent the shoulder 27, is outwardly thickened at 37. The thickened part is provided with a depending flange 37F spaced outwardly of the adjacent side wall as 20 of the lip, and the underside of the thickened part adjacent the flange 37F, as viewed in FIG. 3, is grooved at 37G which, in conjunction with the flange 37F, affords a hook adapted to receive the bight or bend 49B of a U-bolt 40, FIG. 1. The thickened part is slotted or apertured at 41 and 42, FIG. 2, to receive the legs 43 and 44, FIG. 4, of the U-bolt. This construction prevails on both sides of the lip, as noted.

Each side of the lip at the end adjacent the surface 27 is also characterized by a projection 46, FIG. 3, disposed in a plane normal to that of the surface 27. The projection 46 is adapted to engage the inside face of a flange 1\1F,=FIG. 3, formed on the dipper back, and in fact the flange 11F terminates in the surface 32 that is disposed opposite the surface 27 on the lip. As shown in FIG. 3, the flange 11F is rigidly related to the dipper back by an integrally cast web 11W that interconnects the flange 11F and the main portion of the dipper back.

The dipper back 11, FIG. 3, includes a. second flange 111 1 disposed in a plane parallel to and laterally inwardly of the flange 11F, and in position to abut the inner face of the side wall 2! of the lip, this being the relationship of parts at both sides of the dipper lip.

Thus, it will be seen from the foregoing that the projection 46 on the dipper lip, bearing against the inside face of the flange 11F of the dipper back, and the flange MP1 of the dipper back, bearing against the inside face of the side wall of the lip, at both sides of the assembly, affords a neat interfit of parts adapted to be slid together, and the resultant rugged relationship is held and maintained by U-bolts 40 at the sides of the dipper assembly.

The web as 11W at each side of the dipper back is formed with a pair of apertures as 47, FIG. 3, and the threaded ends of the bolts as 40 are adapted to project therethrough so that the threaded ends extend free of. the web 11W in position to have nuts 48 and 4 9 tightened thereon to securely draw the Web 11W at each side of the dipper back toward the surface 27 of the thickened part 37 at each side of the dipper lip.

The apertures as 47 are aligned with the apertures 41 and 42, and as shown in FIG. 2 the latter are tilted so that the axes thereof, on both sides of the dipper, are divergent relative to the sloped surfaces as 25. It will be realized from FIG. 2 that the forces created during tightening of the nuts 48 and 49 occur in a direction not quite parallel to the slopes 25 formed in the dipper lip. Consequently, the back and the lip when :drawn together, will do so tightly along the wedging surfaces 25 and 31.

In the event that one of the U-bolts 40 should be damaged, it will be realized that it is merely necessary to remove nuts 48 and 49 incidental to replacing the damaged bolt, and it is unnecessary to take any steps to separate sections of the dipper assembly as a whole or to remove other parts associated therewith.

Thus, while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claim.

I claim:

A dipper for a power shovel comprising a back and a renewable lip having sections interfitted with one another on opposite sides of the dipper and engageable along sloped surfaces located intermediate parallel shoulders on each side of the back and lip, an end of an interfitting section on each side of the lip being thickened and provided with a flange spaced outward from the adjacent side of the lip, said thickened section being formed with an external groove adjacent said flange to receive the bight of a U-bolt, said thickened part being formed with apertures to receive the legs of the U-bolt, the related interfitting section of the dipper back at each side being provided with a laterally off-set web and a flange extending normal thereto in a plane substantially parallel to the plane occupied by the first-named flange, said web at each side of the dipper back being formed with aligned apertures to receive the legs of the U-bolts, said back and lip being connected by U-bolts having the bights and legs thereof disposed as aforesaid with the threaded ends of the bolt legs projecting free of the sections of the dipper back having the apertures formed therein, said apertures and the legs of the bolts having axes disposed divergent relative to said sloped surfaces, said lip including a projection engageable with the inside face of the flange on said back, and nuts secured to the threaded ends of the U-b0lts and tightened on the adjacent surface of the sections of the back having the apertures formed therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,371,130 Thomas Mar. 8, 1921 1,449,556 Seaholm Mar. 27, 1923 1,945,064 Murtaugh Jan. 30, 1934 2,176,840 Hanks Oct. 17, 1939 2,911,120 Reinhardt et al Nov. 3, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 522,989 Canada Mar. 20, 1956 

